Orca Network - Whale Sighting Network

Only 76 left.

Endangered Southern Resident Orcas ~

It is with such heavy hearts we pass along the very sad news that since our last report, matriarch K13 Skagit and 2-1/2 year-old J52 Sonic (one of the "baby-boom" calves) have been confirmed deceased by the Center for Whale Research. These devastating losses bring the official count of the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas down to just 76 members.

Orcas will go where they can find food, they go where the salmon are. As mentioned in our last update, the Fraser River Chinook salmon runs were abysmal this year. Of the three pods, J pod and L87 spent the most time inland foraging for what scarce Chinook was to be found in their core summer habitat, members of L pod came and went less often, and K pod hardly showed up at all. To further highlight the extreme decrease in prey availability, October 15th marked the first time the L54s, L84, and L88 were documented inland in 2017, meaning they spent ZERO time in their core summer habitat. 2017 was the worst on record (by a huge margin) for the number of days spent inland by the three pods during the late spring and summer months. Every sighting of this fragile community of orcas this summer felt like a rare gift, their presence in our Salish Sea waters on a consistent basis no longer being taken for granted.

Enjoy this video of J and L pods off Lime Kiln State Park, San Juan Island, filmed July 23, 2017 by Alisa Lemire Brooks

In the Pacific Northwest, this time of year brings the rains and the Chum salmon which feeds the Southern Residents during the fall and early winter months. True to their instincts they showed up after our first significant rains, and on September 18th in several spread out groups, Js and Ls showed up (much to everyone’s surprise) for their first documented Fall 2017 foray into Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound. 

Bigg's/Transient Orcas ~

The summer so void of Southern Resident orcas was filled with the mammal eaters. The past several years an abundance of seals, sea lions and porpoise means Bigg’s/Transient orcas have had plenty of food available to them to maintain a steady presence throughout the Salish Sea year round, this summer was no exception. Summer of 2017 brought unprecedented numbers of Transients often in large groups on a consistent basis. What once was a summer rarity in Puget Sound turned out to be a full summer with weeks-long stays by some matrilines and individuals.

Here are two wonderful videos of Bigg's/Transient orcas off Whidbey Island filmed by Alisa Lemire Brooks:

T65As and T137s in Admiralty Inlet, August 30, 2017

T100s in Holmes Harbor/Saratoga Passage, August 31, 2017

Humpback Whales ~

Humpbacks continue recolonizing their historical home waters. New individuals are showing up each year along with those who have been returning consistently for several. One humpback who showed the most fidelity to Puget Sound again this year is CS631/CRC16017 known affectionately as Two Spot. He has been documented around Puget Sound for the past three years, typically for prolonged stays. Prior to this week he was seen daily for nearly two months in primarily North Sound around the Kingston/Point No Point/Edmonds/South Whidbey area. It is hopeful to see the return of a native species who was hunted to near extinction and extirpated from the Salish Sea. Their return has increased people's enthusiasm, offers many opportunities to educate the public, and also increases the need for volunteers to help document their comeback. Sadly, their recovery and increase in whales also means an increase in the number of entanglements we will see. Our co-founder Howard Garrett observed and photographed a humpback entangled in gill netting on October 6th off San Juan Island. Working closely with the Stranding Networks and Large Whale Entanglement Team led by NOAA Fisheries, we put our volunteers on alert and did so again when the whale showed up two days later in Admiralty Inlet. Unfortunately the Entanglement Team was not able to reach this whale on either of those days, and our Sighting and Stranding Network volunteers continue to look for sightings of this whale.

Volunteer/Citizen Whale Sightings help us help the whales ~

One of our Whale Sighting Network's priorities is to track the Southern Resident orcas during the fall and early winter months when they enter Puget Sound in search of Chum salmon, and gather reports we forward to local researchers and organizations, as well as alerting and educating other citizens who are eager to line the shores to watch and learn. As you can see, whales have a year-round presence now in Puget Sound and the greater Salish Sea basin. We are more grateful than ever for our Whale Sighting Network Volunteers who are great allies and so helpful in documenting the Southern Residents and all the other whales, and who have been at the ready to go out in times such as the entangled humpback. We are so grateful to you for your support that helps keep our Whale Sighting Network going!

To learn more about Orca Network's Whale Sighting Network and the whales of the Salish Sea, please visit our website Sightings Page.

Links:

• Orca Network's Whale Sighting Network Land-based Viewpoint Map
• Find the latest Whale Sightings on Orca Network's Facebook Page
• Sign up to receive Whale Sighting Network WHALE REPORTS!

SOUTHERN RESIDENT KILLER WHALES

“Our hearts burst happy with the news that J pod was encountered off Sooke the morning of May 7th heading east. Js continued the journey towards Race Rocks, Victoria, and Haro Strait , making the west side of San Juan Island and passing Lime Kiln State Park early/mid afternoon. They continued north. The morning of the 8th members of J pod were encountered in Rosario Strait and again went about their business of searching for salmon on their travels north to Georgia Strait.”

That was the first for the spring inland travels by Southern Residents. Js came and went a few times, the L12s came in mid June and other members of L pod peeked in late June but there was not enough Fraser River Chinook salmon to bring them all the way inland.

The K14s showed up with J pod and L87 at the end of June and stayed inland for a few days up north before heading out overnight June 30th/July 1st. It was another 17 days before any residents were seen again. July 17th members of L pod made it to San Juan Island where they spent some time and left the next day. July 23rd brought the L4s in the morning while J pod & L87 (who travels with J pod) and other subgroups of L  pod came from the west. They all met up off San Juan Island, shuffled back and forth before committing to heading north, and by mid evening they were approaching Canadian waters.  It was a beautiful and special day watching this many residents spending the entire day foraging and socializing off the west side. It is sad and concerning that it is a rare occasion and we still await the arrival of the rest of K pod. Albion test fisheries counts tell us Fraser River Chinook salmon numbers are flatlined, there just isn’t enough food to bring and keep the residents fed while inland.  Historically some combination of Js, Ks, and Ls kept a daily presence off San Juan Island throughout the summer months, it just isn’t the case any more.

BIGG’S/TRANSIENT KILLER WHALES

In the absence of Resident orcas, Bigg’s/Transient killer whales (mammal eating type) have been overly abundant traveling in family groups and large gatherings on a daily basis around the entire Salish Sea basin.  The influx and prolonged stays of Bigg's comes and goes. However,  smaller groups and single matrilines continue to cruise inland waters most days throughout the Salish Sea in search of seals, sea lions, porpoise and other marine mammals. 

In our last report we included the group that came in at the end of April. Many of them stayed over a few weeks cruising the South Sound.

Monday May 8th at least 4 pods were traveling together and/or in close proximity to one another in North Puget Sound when they gathered for a predation event off the shores of Richmond Beach in the city of Shoreline just north of Seattle. It was here many beach goers and those who follow whales stood awestruck as this superpod converged on a sea lion a few hundred yards offshore and then within feet of shore to recapture their tired and injured prey.

We have had consistent inland encounters this spring and early summer around Whidbey Island and all of inland Puget Sound as these larger groups come in together, split off from one another, regroup and split in different configurations. Two matrilines that have been traveling regularly together (T34s and T37Bs) include two new calves, T34B and T37B2)

HUMPBACKS

Humpbacks have been keeping a regular presence with growing numbers as summer progresses. One individual, known humpback BCX1251 “Orion” was documented regularly for about five to six weeks beginning at the end of April, feeding from Edmonds to Tacoma. Another humpback with no official ID (who has a distinct dot on her/his left side dorsal)  spent two months in South Puget Sound, primarily keeping to Case Inlet. Others joined this whale at times in the South Sound, while others have come and gone throughout all areas of Puget Sound. Just this week an unidentified humpback who was photographed in Rosario Strait on July 10th, was photographed south of the Clinton ferry dock on South Whidbey July 22nd. It was our sighting network that allowed us to make a match. 

GRAYS

A few of the grays from the returning  population of Gray whales known now as the North Puget Sound Grays (or “Sounders”) stayed around North Puget Sound until the latter part of May.  Grays #22, #44, & #383 were confirmed on May 6th and #22 was again confirmed from air during feeding pit surveys conducted on May 21st!

Our sighings network received many reports of Gray whales in Birch Bay early to mid May where there had not been sightings or reports for many years.

We have also received reports (with photos confirming grays by Cascadia Research) of at least two other stray grays off North Seattle July 6th, at the same time two others were off the west side of Whidbey near Anacortes. (Alie Perez, Cascadia Research, ID’d one of them as female CRC698, " a well known PCFG (Pacific Coast Feeding Group ) animal who has been seen every year since 2002 but never in the Sound…”). That is at least four gray whales in the month of July! 

Some things remain somewhat predictable while others are changing dramatically. We are now regularly seeing mammal eating orcas and humpbacks inland Puget Sound nearly year round, and now occasional healthy stray grays  which sometimes leads to confusion and misidentification as people adjust to the changes. For example, one whale mid July was reported as as a gray, a humpback, and an orca in part because people may not yet be aware other species are recolonizing and now calling Puget Sound home once again.  Our network also provides a place to report and keep track of unusual species such as the pod of Common dolphins we’ve included in previous updates of whom five to six remain, and occasionally a larger group is seen. Their presence allows us the opportunity once again to educate people of the different species, who is native and who has found themselves in waters outside their usual range.

We work diligently to educate and keep everyone current on the commonly seen species, rare species, and recolonizing species they are encountering so we can keep as accurate a record as possible. Without support such as yours, we simply could not keep up with the ever-growing volume of sightings and reports, which increases the amount of time to educate our Whale Sighting Network followers and contributors on the various whales, their current status, the challenges they face, how to safely and respectfully share the water (Be Whale Wise boating regulations) etc. These reports are also shared with researchers and agencies around the Salish Sea and beyond, so they contribute important data to those working to understand changes in habitat for the many different species we are fortunate to see in our urban and rural waterways.

We hope you have enjoyed this update and the photos and videos of the beautiful whales of the Salish Sea. If you would like to be on our Whale Sighting Network Email list to learn more about these whales, go to www.OrcaNetwork.org and click on "mailing lists" in the upper right hand corner to sign up.

With heart-felt appreciation of your care and support of the whales and the work of Orca Network’s Whale Sighting Network, thank you!

Links:

• Bigg's predation event, Richmond Beach- 5/8, Alisa Lemire Brooks
• Humpback BCX1251 Orion, Edmonds - 7/1, by Alisa Lemire Brooks
• Kitsap Sun article: Transient Killer Whales visit Bremerton